The Instagram Stories - Social Media News

TikTok's new ownership is now in place in the US! But the platform has had problems over the weekend, and people are looking for alternatives. Additionally, the CEO of YouTube, Neal Mohan, stops by to share his 4 big priorities for the platform in 2026.

 
Links:

 
TikTok: Announcement from the new TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC (TikTok)
TikTok: CEO Shou Chew (TikTok)
TikTok: What's new on TikTok for brands: Q1 2026 Product Preview (TikTok)

 
YouTube: YouTube CEO - 4 Big Priorities for 2026 (YouTube)
 
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In this interview, I chat with Diego Sanchez, a product manager at Buffer. He is a product leader with over a decade of experience launching new products from zero to one. At Buffer, he leads Community, the company’s newest product, focused on building scalable, meaningful social engagement.
Diego explains what makes Buffer different from other social media management platforms - the team is dedicated to helping small businesses and creators grow through publishing, analytics, and engagement tools. He highlights the company's unique culture of transparency, featuring public salaries and a four-day work week to prioritize employee well-being. A major focus of the discussion is the launch of Community, a new tool that uses gamification and AI to help users respond to comments and build meaningful connections.
 
Watch the entire interview (YouTube)
Listen to the entire interview on your favorite podcast app (Apple Podcasts) (Spotify) (Others)
 
Diego shares data showing that active engagement can increase post interactions by up to 42%, reinforcing the idea that creators should not simply "post and ghost."
Ultimately Buffer aims to simplify the complex landscape of social media while remaining an independent and mission-driven company.
 
You can find Diego online at: LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/diesanx⁠
You can find Buffer at: ⁠https://buffer.com/⁠

 
Watch the entire interview (YouTube)
Listen to the entire interview on your favorite podcast app (Apple Podcasts) (Spotify) (Others)
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TikTok's 2026 trend report is out! Longtime listener Casey Ross stops by to share his insights. The YouTube team has improvements to the content upload system, then actor Chris Gethard shares his thoughts on the creator economy and compares the American Revolutionary War being kicked off by mail delivery to our current system of gatekeepers with Instagram and TikTok. Then I do Wednesday Waffle, part 2 of the story where I hired actresses as a gift for my wife.

 
Links:
TikTok: 2026 TikTok Trend Report (PDF)
Connect with Casey Ross (LinkedIn)
YouTube:This Week at YouTube: Improvements to Content Management and Video Settings Page (YouTube)
Vulture: Preparing for the Creator Economy Apocalypse (with Chris Gethard) (YouTube)

 
Wednesday Waffle: Just Bananas (Overheard Conversation) - Pick Your Podcast App

 
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The Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, answers questions about posting every day on Instagram, and explains the new Edits linking feature. He also gets into improvements around saves, and explains why there's no dedicated Direct Message app for Instagram. 

 
Links:
My Latest Reel - Anna Mongiello's Story (Instagram) (TikTok)

 
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Apple announces a direct competitor to Adobe Creative Cloud - it's cheaper and you can purchase the apps so you don't need to pay monthly. Also, the Head of Instagram busts the myth about needing to edit video in Instagram, and YouTube rolls out protections to keep kids limited in their Shorts watch time. Lastly, I do Wednesday Waffle, talking about a gift that I set up for my wife.
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Links:
Apple: Creative Studio (Apple)
Instagram: Mythbusting - Videos Created In Other Apps (Instagram)
YouTube: Limiting Watch Time on Shorts (YouTube)
YouTube: Interest Targeting for Promote, Ingredients to Video, and Creator Insider Content Requests for 2026! (YouTube)
 
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Wednesday Waffle:
Just Bananas (Overheard Conversation) - Pick Your Podcast App
 
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